Opinion

We would like to express a public thank-you to Mayor Edwinna Baker and the city of Lawrenceburg for their enormous show of support for the Relay for Life event that took place at the City Park on July 11.

The park was in fantastic shape and many city employees were there well before 7 a.m. on the day of the event, making sure that everything was taken care of.

After backpacking about 260 miles over some of the toughest trails I've ever hiked, I decided to leave New England in search of some drier and, much as I hate to admit it, easier trail.

So I headed to northern Virginia to fill in a 40-mile section that also includes a short section of West Virginia. After completing that section, I have now hiked the entire southern half of the 2,170-miles long Appalachian Trail, as well as another 440 miles in New England.

Change. It's something that supposedly none of us like, but it's also inevitable. It's necessary for life to progress and exist, and according to Sheryl Crow, it'll do you good.

But no matter what the songs say and no matter how necessary it is, change can be difficult to deal with if for no other reason than it is what it is.

By definition, change means to "make different" or "cause a transformation" (and if you ask me, the definition should say something about how a single change is impossible because when one thing changes, so do about a million others).

I'm writing this column three days before my wedding knowing that when it runs I'll be four days into my honeymoon on the shores of sunny North Carolina. But if you'll notice, because you are reading it after the wedding, my byline has changed.

The Lawrenceburg City Council had no legal obligation Monday under the law to vote for or against a planning and zoning board decision to allow a developer to build a senior citizen complex on North Main Street.

Council members did, however, have a moral obligation to their constituents to listen to those who came to speak and subsequently vote on issue rather than hiding behind a measure of the law that's so vague that even the city council's attorney couldn't immediately render an opinion.

My girlfriend Linda Richardson and I recently returned from our vacation to Key West, Fla.

It was preceded by a trip to Panama Beach, Fla., where Linda and I participated in the beach wedding of my cousin, Eddie Durr, and his new wife, Missy Quisenberry.

After the wedding we flew to Key West to view the sights, take in the museums and aquarium, and enjoy the tropical life. But while there, I wanted to fulfill a dream I have carried for over thirty years: to take the helm of a schooner on open sea.

After hiking about 150 to 160 miles through the soggy, mosquito-infested mountains and bogs of southern New England, I headed north to finish the final 60 miles of the Appalachian Trail that meanders through Maine before it crosses into New Hampshire.

I'd already completed the rest of Maine's 280 AT miles in a 2004 hike.

After completing the 150-mile section of Appalachian Trail that follows the low mountain ridges of western Connecticut and Massachusetts, I spent a night at Tom Levardi's home in Dalton, Mass.

Levardi, who is becoming a legend among AT aficionados, has been hosting hikers since the early 1990s. The trail runs directly in front of his house and many trail-weary souls have spent a night at his place where showers and occasional home-cooked meals are free for the taking. Levardi said he hosts 400-500 hikers every year.

As with any place, we still have a few people who would rather take time out of their day to send crude, unnecessary e-mails to "airheads" like me who write nothing but "mindless dribble" rather than actually put forth some positive energy, but for the most part Anderson County is full of loving, caring and accepting people.

The "American Idol" auditions are coming to Louisville. I've heard about it - and keep hearing about it - from family and friends, all of which followed the news with the same question: Are you going to go?

My mom asked. My cousin asked. My friends asked.

My fianc was out of the loop, but once I told him about the auditions, even he asked.

I told each of them the same thing: I don't know.

I've never been a diehard fan of the show, only watching occasionally, but up until my junior year of high school, I seriously thought I would make a career out of singing.

Last week I got the opportunity to see some Anderson County residents do some inspiring service work. These people were very enthusiastic about a cause, creative in their idea and took time from their busy summer schedules to raise money for a charitable donation. Oh, and they were 10-year-olds.

When I was informed there was a group of children selling Popsicles and lemonade to help the Anderson Humane Society, I didn't think much of it until I got there.

As I sit here to type, I've got to tell you that I'm having a strong urge to go have "puppy time." At 6 weeks old, they are nothing but adorable. These are healthy puppies and each has its own personality. While spending time outside with the pack tonight, I was reminded that it is the season for chiggers.

I've been pretty good about using my chamomile tea spray, before working outside. It's when I just come home from work and spend an hour or so taking stock of the day. Duh - that's prime time for chigger and mosquito bites.

I've been stumbling for days trying to find some ideas to write a column about. I'm getting married in 17 days, so you'd think I would have plenty.

I could easily ramble on for inches about how my wedding dress doesn't fit any more, how frustrated I am with all that comes with ordering a wedding cake or how frustrated I am with myself for forgetting to take the wedding invitations home with me the last time I went.

While pouring over the county budget to prepare an article for this week's paper, it was amazing to see just how much proposed spending was eliminated when compared to the year before.

Even with about $80,000 in pay increases for county employees, the fiscal court was able to create a balanced budget.

Helping the court along were significant reductions in debt and employee fringe benefits, along with nearly $100,000 in cuts from money set aside last year for economic development and the swimming pool fund.

My latest walk in the woods began just outside Kent, a small town in Connecticut.

After about 15 minutes on the Appalachian Trail an unpleasant reality set in. I had either underestimated the degree of difficulty the mountains of the Nutmeg state would present, or had overestimated my degree of fitness.